When you select tracks, they go through a vetting process. At this stage, your Dashboard will show these tracks are processing.

The tracks that are found eligible, under our terms and conditions, are sent to YouTube. If a track is found ineligible, you will also see that on your dashboard.

YouTube makes a fingerprint of the eligible tracks (digital indicator), and it is sent out over their entire system to find videos where your music is used.

TuneCore collects the revenue from the videos that use your sound recordings and sends it to your TuneCore Account.

4) What qualifies as sound recordings on YouTube?

There are two kinds of “rights”: 1) Audio. 2) Composition. Sound recordings are the audio part, and this service monetizes the “audio” part.

5) What do the terms “monetization” and “monetize” mean regarding YouTube?

“Monetization” is the act of making money on goods or services. Artists earn money when their sound recordings are used on YouTube videos. This service “monetizes” (identifies and collects revenue from) those sound recordings for you.

6) What’s the difference between “eligible” sound recordings that I can monetize and “ineligible” sound recordings that I can’t monetize on YouTube?

Eligible: You can submit specific tracks to YouTube for revenue collection that:

Contain any third party content that you do not have exclusively licensed (such as samples you do not have exclusively licensed)

Are karaoke versions or sound-a-like cover versions

Are part of a compilation/various artists’ albums

7) Does TuneCore monetize my sound recordings if they have been included in videos other people uploaded to YouTube?

Absolutely. If you purchase this service, we will monetize (collect money from) YouTube videos in which other people have used your music and ads have been placed on those videos. We’ll even monetize your tracks on your own YouTube channel unless you decide to whitelist (exclude) it.

8) What are the types of ads that can appear on my videos on YouTube?

There are many types of ads that can appear on a video, including the following:

Display ads (i.e. banners)

Overlay in-video ads

TrueView in-stream ads

Non-skippable in-stream ads

These ads can range from a simple banner to an actual commercial. More than one advertisement may be linked to your video at any given time, which can mean additional monetization income for you.

9) How much money can I make on YouTube?

It depends on various factors, including on how often your music is used. The more people upload and stream your music, the more money you can earn from your sound recordings.

10) When I release new singles or albums, can I monetize them on YouTube through this service without paying another fee?

Yes. You pay a one-time setup fee. The service is good for all current and future releases. As you release new music, you can hand-pick which eligible tracks will be monetized.

11) Will “buy” links (direct links to buy your music on iTunes, Google Play) be placed below the YouTube videos?

Yes. As long as iTunes and/or Google Play have the same ISRCs for your songs as YouTube, links to buy your music should appear along with the videos that contain your music. When you distribute your music through TuneCore, you increase your chances because we will send your ISRCs to YouTube. However, YouTube does not guarantee that links will appear even if the ISRCs match.

12) Can I monetize my music on YouTube by myself without this TuneCore service?

In order to collect the most money from the use of your music in other people’s videos, you need access to YouTube’s system, and access is typically restricted to large labels, publishers and distributors. Plus, you need the training and knowledge to navigate YouTube’s complex system to collect revenue and manage rights disputes. This TuneCore service can manage these monetization tasks for you. Generally, you can monetize your own channel, if you want.

Because you are a customer, you and other people using your music on YouTube will get a YouTube notification stating that TuneCore has claimed your sound recording. The notification means that TuneCore is officially collecting money on your behalf.

14) What does it mean for me to whitelist my YouTube channel? How does that affect this service?

Whitelist means to “exclude.” If you do not want TuneCore to collect revenue for your sound recordings on your channel, you can set your Channel Preferences to whitelist (exclude) your YouTube channel.

15) If I whitelist my YouTube channel, will this service still monetize other videos?